Thanks to Jonathan Dodson, I have been informed about the above book, Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas. I purchased it as soon as I read his blog and have been enthralled with it eversince. So, if you are sick about reading me write about Bono, this is probably your cue to exit. One of the reasons I’ve been interested in this book is because, as Jonathan points out, Bono’s suprisingly good theology comes out. Michka is an Italian journalist that discovered U2 back in ‘78 before they were anything. He met the band and followed them a little while during his stint for a French music column. He didn’t meet with them again until after they had made it big, and they kept in touch since then. The book chronicles the conversations he had with Bono over the past 3-4 years. This includes both face-to-face and phone chats. The proceeding comes from p.203ff. The bold print is Michka, as it appears in the book and the normal font is Bono’s response.

Just for the last time, I would kike to go back to our tour of the dark side of religion. Appalling things seem to happen when people become religous at too early an age or when their experience of life is nonexistent. Don’t you think?

Zealots often have no love for the world. They’re just getting through it to the next one. It’s a favorite topic. It’s the old cliche: “Eat shit now, pie in the sky when you die.” But I take Christ at his word: “On Earth as it is in Heaven.” As to the first part of your question, in my experience, the older you get, the less chance you have to transform your life, the less open you are to love in a challenging way. You tend towards love that’s more comforting and safe.

As I told you, I think I am beginning to understand religion because I started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Yes, I think that’s normal. It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

I haven’t heard you talk about that.

I really believe we’ve moved out the of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

Well, that doesn’t make it clearer for me.

You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics-in physical laws-every action is met by an equal or opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the Universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “As you reap, so will you sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.

I’d be interested to hear that.

That’s between me and God. But I’d be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge, I’d be in deep shit. It doesn’t excuse my mistakes, but I’m holding out for Grace. I’m holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don’t have to depend on my own religiousity.

The son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

But I love the idea of the Sacrficial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there’s mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let’s face it, you’re not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to your actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out does not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That’s the point. It should keep us humbled…It’s not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.

That’s enough for now, more to come soon. Discuss…